A fractured panel of French legislators on January 26 endorsed the idea of a ban on full facial veils in government offices, public hospitals and mass transit, but Parliament remains deeply divided over the effectiveness and constitutionality of such a law.

一個分裂的法國國會議員小組 1月26日為一項理念背書，禁止在政府機關、公立醫院和大眾運輸系統上全身覆蓋罩紗，但國會對這項法案的有效性和合憲性仍有很深的歧見。

After six months of hearings, the panel of 32 legislators came up with a 644-page report covering proposals reinforcing republican ideas of secularism, but in the end barely a quarter of the members voted to submit their work to Parliament for consideration. They prevailed in part because the 11 members of the opposition Socialist Party boycotted the vote. The result is far short of the idea that inspired the creation of the panel: the demand for a ban on the full veil anywhere in public.

經6個月的聽證，該小組32位議員提出一份長達 644頁的報告，建議強化法蘭西共和國世俗主義的理念，但最後只有1/4議員投票贊成將議案提交國會審議。其所以如此，部分原因是反對黨社會黨11位成員抵制投票。這項結果和該小組當初成立時的宗旨相去甚遠，他們當時要求在任何公開場合，全面禁止全身覆蓋罩紗。

Such dress is considered by many as a gateway to extremism. However, it also is widely seen as an insult to gender equality and an offense to France's profoundly secular foundations. Parliament will now have to debate whether to adopt the nonbinding resolution suggested in the report, stating that the full veil was “contrary to the values of the republic” and asserting that “all of France is saying no to the veil”. Then Parliament will decide what if any legislation should be passed. No action is expected until after regional elections in March.

很多人認為，這種裝扮是通往極端主義的手段，但也有不少人認為，這有辱兩性平等，並冒犯法國深厚的政教分離世俗主義基礎。國會現在必須辯論，是否通過報告中所提不具約束力的決議案，指全身覆蓋罩紗「違反法蘭西共和國的價值觀」，並主張「全法國都對面紗說不」。然後，議會將決定是否應通過任何法案。一般預料在3月地方選舉前，不會採取任何行動。

Since 2004, head scarves and other signs of religious affiliation have been banned from public schools by a government determined to enforce France's tradition of strict secularism amid fears of growing fundamentalism among France's five million Muslims. Veils must be removed or lifted to ascertain identity, for passport photos and airline security and at banks. Now Muslim religious leaders, along with many experts, warn that a“general and absolute” law banning face-covering attire in the streets would stigmatize all Muslims and have other dire consequences, even driving some to extremism.

自2004年以來，公立學校已經禁止頭巾及其他帶有宗教屬性的標誌，政府決定落實法國嚴格的政教分離世俗主義傳統，主要擔心法國500萬穆斯林的激進基本教義氣焰日益高張。但為確定護照照片、飛航安全及銀行身分，面紗必須撤除或取消。現在，穆斯林宗教領袖和許多專家警告說，通過一項「普遍但絕對的」法條，禁止在街上穿戴包覆臉部的服飾，將汙衊所有穆斯林並產生其他極其嚴重的後果，甚至逼使某些人走極端。

Further, the Interior Ministry says only a small fraction of France's Muslim women wear the full veil — 1,900 — so a broader ban would mostly affect wealthy tourists from Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf nations, who help keep up the retail economy here. According to the police, most of the 1,900 are young, two-thirds are French citizens and a quarter are Muslim converts.

此外，內政部說，只有小部分法國穆斯林婦女全身覆蓋罩紗，頂多1900人，因此更廣泛的禁令，主要影響來自沙烏地阿拉伯及其他波斯灣國家的富有遊客，他們幫助拉抬法國的經濟發展。據警方表示，這1900名婦女，大部分很年輕，有2/3是法國公民，另有1/4是皈依伊斯蘭教的穆斯林。

The center-right government of President Nicolas Sarkozy has been deeply concerned about the rise of Salafism, a more conservative form of Islam, especially among converts. Sarkozy has said that the veil is “not welcome in France because it is contrary to our values and contrary to the ideals we have of a woman's dignity.” But he stepped back from pushing the broader ban, concerned about its constitutionality and the possible offense of Muslims. Instead, with an eye on the coming regional elections, he and his prime minister, Fran?ois Fillon, said Parliament should debate the issue and vote on a nonbinding resolution before trying to pass legislation.

沙克吉總統中間偏右的政府一向深切關注薩拉菲主義的興起，這是一種更保守激進的伊斯蘭教派，尤其是那些後來皈依伊斯蘭教的信徒。沙克吉曾說：「法國不歡迎面紗，因為它違背我們的價值觀，也和我們對女性尊嚴的理想相牴觸。」但他後來從推動更廣泛的禁令讓步，主要擔心其合憲性及可能冒犯穆斯林。相反的，著眼於即將舉行的地方選舉，他和總理費雍表示，國會應辯論這個問題，並表決出一項不具約束力的決議案，再試圖通過立法。

Those who oppose the veil call it a symbol of the repression of women, but many of those who wear it say that they do so voluntarily as an expression of their faith. Their backers say that a ban would deny Muslim women freedom of expression and stigmatize them.

那些反對面紗的人認為，這是壓迫婦女的象徵，但很多穿戴罩紗的婦女說，她們為了表達宗教信仰自願這麼做。支持她們的人說，禁止面紗不啻否定穆斯林婦女言論自由，同時也汙衊她們。

The whole discussion has made many Muslims uncomfortable or angry. Muhammad Moussaoui, the head of a national coalition of Muslim organizations, told The Associated Press that “it's very difficult to talk about the liberation of women through a law that constrains.” But in some public accommodations, “where identification is necessary,” he said, it was legitimate to ask women to show their faces.

整個相關討論使很多穆斯林感到不安或憤怒。穆斯林組織國家聯盟領袖穆薩維告訴美聯社說：「透過法律強制執行，奢談婦女解放難上加難。」但他又說，在某些公共場所，當確認身分有其必要時，要求婦女「拋頭露面」是合法合理的。

“It is perhaps a marginal problem, but it is the visible part of the iceberg,” lawmaker Andre Gerin, president of the parliamentary panel, said. “Behind the iceberg is a black tide of fundamentalism.” He denounced those he called “gurus” or “French Taliban” who, he claimed, p romote a radical brand of Islam that forces women, and young girls, to hide themselves. Gerin, who wants a total ban, stressed the need to move“progressively” toward a general law banning the attire in the streets and to work“hand in hand” with Muslim leaders, associations and others who might hold sway among Muslims.

「這或許是無關緊要的問題，但它是冰山可見的一角，」議會小組主席國會議員吉藍說。「冰山背後是一股基本教義派的暗流。」他譴責那些他所謂的「宗教領袖」或「法國神學士」，並稱這些人倡議激進的伊斯蘭教派，迫使婦女和年輕少女隱藏自己。支持全面查禁的吉藍強調，應「逐步漸進」走向普遍立法禁止街頭出現這種裝扮，並主張和穆斯林領袖、協會及其他可能在穆斯林中占主導地位的人「攜手合作」。

Various polls show that a majority of French, when asked, favor a ban on the full veil. And the French media have had great fun with the topic. For instance, the popular daily newspaper Parisien this week interviewed a French artist who said that she had worn the full veil for a month “in hell”, and that she sweated profusely in the summer and got drenched in the rain because the black cloth acted like a sponge.

各種不同的民調顯示，大多數接受訪查的法國人支持禁止全身罩紗。法國媒體對這項話題也有非常有趣的討論，例如，發行量很大的日報──《巴黎人報》本周訪問一位法國藝術家，她自稱整整一個月全身包覆罩紗「簡直像入地獄般」，夏天汗如雨下，下雨時則全身濕透，因為這一大片黑布像海綿般吸水。

Photo shows Germany's Stefanie Sommerfeld examining Burqas coming from Afghanistan and setting up as an art piece called “Disparition” (Disappearance) by French artist Jean Pierre Giovanelli in a Nice art gallery, southeastern France on Jan. 25.

圖中（美聯社） 德國藝術家史特芬妮．桑莫菲德正在檢視來自阿富汗的罩紗，法國藝術家吉瓦內利利用這些罩紗，1月25日在法國東南部尼斯美術館創作題為「失蹤」的藝術作品。